Mohammad first heard about ICMC when he registered his family as Syrian refugees with UNHCR. After visiting the family, the ICMC staff determined that it was in an extremely vulnerable state and thus eligible for aid. With funding support from the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, ICMC can now support Mohammad‘s family with rent subsidies.
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“Breaking the stigma around sexual and gender-based violence to overcome its under-reporting is one of the main challenges we face in Uganda,” explains humanitarian expert Madan Bam. “Power imbalances, poverty, illiteracy and trauma are among the root causes of the problem.”
Sometimes small gestures of kindness can go a long way towards restoring a shared sense of humanity. For example, gestures like Muhammad’s, a Pakistani boy who inspired people to do more to support refugee children in Islamabad. Refugee children in Pakistan often struggle to access quality education. The public-school system is overstretched and the UN Refugee Agency only funds elementary school programs for children up to 10-11 years.
Dealing with the highs and lows of being a teenager can be a challenge. Much more so when you grow up far away from everything you once called home.Sajia, Farwardeen, and Farhad are three Afghan teenagers* who have something in common besides age and nationality. Together with their mothers and siblings, they all fled domestic violence in their country and found shelter in a safe home in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital city.
Largely unnoticed by the mainstream media, an innovative private-public initiative involving faith-based communities and government is facilitating refugees enter Europe since 2015. The year 2015 saw an unprecedented number of refugees arriving in Europe. More than one million people were risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea with thousands perishing in perilous journeys at the hands of people smugglers.
The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) welcomed the resolution on “Unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents and human rights” adopted by the Human Rights Council on 29 September. The Human Rights Council voiced concern about the risks faced by unaccompanied or separated children who may suffer grave abuses and human rights violations in countries of transit or destination.
Throughout 2016, ICMC offered health assistance to 24,000 displaced people in war-torn Syria, supported 9,570 refugees in their resettlement process to the United States, and coordinated the advocacy activities of civil society organizations all around the globe. These are just some of the many achievements presented in ICMC’s latest annual report, published today and already available for download on the website.
Parisa* is a 17-year-old girl from Afghanistan, currently living in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Together with her mother and four siblings, she fled her home country at age 15, escaping not only conflict and persecution but also unbearable domestic violence.
